Of Stones and Moments
by hyperchicks1
Summary: Oneshot. Between BofL and TLO. A bout of insomnia causes a Percy and Annabeth friendship moment skipping stones on a beach by the moonlight.


**A/N**

**Hey friends.**

**So like here's a oneshot.**

**Im on summer vacation so now i have no excuse to not write.**

**SETTING: Between BotL and TLO**

**Yeah, enjoy my friends. :)**

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**Of Stones and Moments  
**

Percy Jackson couldn't sleep. His pillow refused to be soft enough, it was too hot, the bed was lumpy. He tried to tell himself that those small irritations was the culprit of his bout of insomnia.  
Total lie.  
His newfound fit of sleeplessness was due to one person. Annabeth Chase. She would be the death of him, he was sure.  
Several minutes of fitful tossing and turning came to no avail. Percy sighed as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of his bed and jumped off.

In a beat up white tank top, shorts and slippers. Percy strode out of Cabin 3. Glancing back, he later realized that his bed wasn't lumpy at all.

His feet took him there without much direction from Percy -they knew this path well. At first he had needed the land marks -left at the white lightning struck tree on the edge of the forest, straight past the boulder overgrown with ivy and so on. But now, he didn't need to think about it.

Finally, Percy skidded down a grassy slope and stopped on the beach, staring at the water.

Always the beach. He felt calm here, at peace. Percy had a feeling that even if he hadn't been a son of Poseidon he still would've loved the beach. There was something about it; just the sand, sea and sky -the realms of the Big Three together cooperating.

Harmony, Grover would call it.

Percy plopped down on the sand putting his hands behind him and letting them support his upper body. The sand squished beneath his fingers as Percy turned his head up to gaze at the stars. Orion twinkled down at him.

Being so near the ocean was boosting Percy's senses -he then realized he wasn't alone.

Her footsteps were soft and muffled by the sand but no one prowled around a beach with the Son of the Sea God noticing.

She sat down beside him, leaning forward to rest her forearms on her bent knees.

Glancing at her from the corner of her eye, for reasons unknown he couldn't help but choke a little on his breath. Percy always knew she was beautiful, but for a while now, seeing her did funny things to his stomach and head.

He probably should lay off the mushrooms at dinner. Turning back to the sea, Percy wondered what had come over them. Annabeth had become distant ever since what happened to Luke and it was kinda hurting Percy -though he never admitted it to her. He didn't like all the attention Annabeth was giving to Luke.

They sat there for a moment listening to the sea.

"Percy I-. About everything that's been going on-. I-" Annabeth Chase began.

Percy got up and picked up a rock by the shore. He skipped it out to sea. Each skip prompted a ripple. Nine, he thought to himself, that's good.

He picked up another stone and could feel Annabeth watching him. That's when he realized, call him selfish but he didn't want to bring up old wounds today. He didn't want to ruin right now. While she was still talking to him, while things weren't awkward between them. While the midnight sky took off their masks of emotions and hid them from the rest of the world. The rising sun would bring back the things that came between them, would bring back Luke and Rachel and jealousy and all the unspoken things. But for now, now they could just be Percy and Annabeth. Percy knew he should talk about Luke and Rachel to Annabeth but he just couldn't ruin right now.

"C'mere, Annabeth Chase," he smiled.

She blinked. Percy nodded in encouragement as she got to her feet.

He tossed her the rock, "do you know how to skip rocks?"

Percy watched her freeze in front of him.

"I've studied how," she admitted, "but never got around doing it." Annabeth flashed a guilty smile. God, she was beautiful, Percy thought.

"Try it," Percy whispered.

Annabeth kicked stepped into the water with her bare feet, wound up and through the stone. It hit the water, blurring the reflection of the moon with its ripples for a moment. Percy looked at her. Their eyes made contact.

"One skip," he said, "pretty good for your first try."

Annabeth and Percy froze. He stared at her, not breaking contact with her gray eyes. They were darker tonight. The wind and waves died down. He swallowed, they were looking at each other for quite a long time. He has stared at her many times before, but this was different. For one, she was staring back with the same intensity and for another, there was something else in her eyes.

Longing.

He would bet Riptide that the same longing was mirrored in his own.

Something shifted in his gut. Not like when he bends water, this was different. It was the weird feeling in his gut when she looks at him except magnified. He wanted to hold her and keep her close.

He wanted to feel those lips.

What the hell.

He forced himself to breathe when he realized he wasn't. Percy looked down, breaking the eye contact. Not because he didn't like it but because he liked it too much. If he'd continued looking at her looking at him he wouldn't have resisted stepping forward and holding her tight. No, she wouldn't like that. He didn't even fully understand why he suddenly felt like that.

It was all too confusing.

Glancing over, he saw Annabeth was looking down too, holding her arms as if hugging herself. The waves started up again, nudging his shins as if trying to tell him something. He looked down again right between his feet and sure enough, Percy saw glittering there a smooth white rock. Thin, perfectly flat, not too big, all in all the perfect rock to skip. Reaching down, he picked it up and waded towards the daughter of Athena.

"Here," he smiled, "this is perfect to skip.

She looked at him and took it but Percy didn't let go. Instead, he held on and pivoted so that he was directly behind Annabeth.

"Let me help you," he whispered.

Percy guided her arms closed with his beside so that he was basically hugging her from behind.

"You start like this," he whispered.

Even though they were alone and all, Percy still felt the need to whisper. Almost in reverence of such a serene, perfect moment. He couldn't bear to interrupt the harmony with a loud voice.

He was so close to Annabeth his senses with on high again, her hair smelled like lemons, some dolphins where splashing around further down the beach, the moon was bright, the water was warm.

Percy Jackson closed his eyes for a second, to savour the moment. He felt so close to Annabeth, it was so intimate. He wanted to stay like this forever.

"And then you wind up," Percy continued with his instructions. He pulled Annabeth's hand with the stone backwards with his.

"Put your weight on your back foot, that's it. Bend down, put your wrist back and drag your arm forward."

Percy pushed their arms forward to show her how in slow motion.

"Then about here-"

"I snap my wrist and let go of the stone," she finished for him.

"Exactly!" Percy exclaimed, delighted.

He stepped back, "Now you try, Wise Girl."

Percy watched as she mumbled to herself going through the motions.

"Starting position... And then wind up... Weight on back foot... Bend down... Hiya!"

She through the rock and it sailed, hitting the water cleanly.

"Yes!" Annabeth jumped in glee.

"Thats two... Three!" Percy ran forward to get a better view of the jumping stone.

"Six now, seven... Eight... Nine!" Annabeth's voice grew more and more excited with every contact of rock and water.

"TEN!" They both yelled and the triumphant rock finally sank into the water.

"Whoohoo!" Percy let out a yell of victory as Annabeth jumped up and down laughing.

"Did you see that Percy? I'm awesome!"

And for a moment, Percy Jackson forgot about everything, but the gray eyed blonde in front of him silhouetted by the moon. His eyes shone in wonder and he smiled, "You sure are, Annabeth Chase, you sure are."

The son of the Sea God had no trouble sleeping, back at his cabin.

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**A/N**

**So yeah. Not the best I've done, but it's something right?**

**Right?**

**Anywhoo.**

**I recently finished the series Avatar: The Last Airbender and am still crying over it. If anyone would care to discuss/fangirl over it my messaging is open :)**

**Oh and to promote my another of my stories...**

**IF ANY OF YOU IS CRAVING A PERCY/JASON FIGHT FIC I'VE MADE ONE A FEW MONTHS AGO I RECENTLY FINISHED IT ITS CALLED SEA AND SKY AND ITS BY ME.**

**Yeah, it think thats it.**

**Thanks! Review maybe?**


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